Biglaw Perk Watch: Debevoise & Plimpton to 18 Weeks
Biglaw is becoming kinder and gentler. The number of large law firms enhancing their parental leave policies continues to grow. The latest to join the club: Debevoise & Plimpton.
From a (male) tipster:
18 weeks. Not bad. Of course, since I'm unlikely to give birth to a child anytime soon, I'll have to be satisfied with 10 weeks.Also, what's with this "primary childcare giver" business? Of the new parents I've known, the first few months seemed like one needed at least two primary childcare givers, if not more. Eh, I doubt D&P will be sending auditors into associates' homes to check who bills the most hours with the baby.
The email announcing Debevoise's policy, plus a list of firms that have recently enhanced their parental leave policies, after the jump.
DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON -- MEMORANDUM -- NEW PRIMARY CHILDCARE LEAVE BENEFIT
LIST OF VIRTUE:
New and improved parental leave policies from:
-- Davis Polk
-- Weil Gotshal
(36) Comments
first.
I'm getting preggers tonight!
Are they raising salaries?
did anyone notice the poster of the hebrew alphabet behind Michael Cera's character's bedroom door in Juno?
What was that about? His mom in the flick typified irish catholic.
So, how do they determine who is the "primary childcare giver"? WTF does that even mean?
Missed the boat again... would have loved an additional 6 weeks of paid leave when I had my first. As an aside, sad that it's the 21st century but maternity leave is still tagged as a "disability" - and probably only because person is useless to the firm. Anyone who cared for an infant knows that you were anything but disabled.
I'd like to see more firms providing an adoption benefit. Adoption is very expensive. A few firms do offer financial assistance for an adoption (e.g., Alston & Bird, Arnold & Porter, Dorsey & Whitney, Sullivan & Cromwell) as well as many corporations. More firms need to offer financial assistance for adoptions.
Does anyone know if this firm is good for IP law?
IF YOU ARE NOT A SINGLE MOTHER WORKING AT BIGLAW YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC
what about powell goldstein
Today sucks.
What do you get if you are a male associate whose wife has a baby (and she is the primary caregiver)?
1:17--you get four weeks, unless, as the tipster implicitly says, you are willing to roll the dice and claim you are the co-primary caregiver. That would entitle you to ten weeks.
OK, I'm a parent, but honestly - this has already been covered here ad nauseam. We don't need a new post everytime a firm gives a few more weeks of leave.
I want more bonus news.
Paul, Weiss also went to 18 weeks
Does anybody know Skadden's policy?
If you want to be a parent, go for it.
If you want to be a BigLaw attorney, go for it.
But don't try to be both.
You'll be mediocre at both. It is so sad all of the mothers up here who push their kids to day-care and off on nannys who keep them til 7 or 8 o'clock at night. The parents who collectively spend 1 hour or less with their kids per day need to get their priorities in line.
18 week is nice, but what happens after that? Day/night care or a nanny who is the real parent.
How can I give birth?
2:05 - you sound like an immature shithead who doesn't know what they are talking about. Let me guess, are you a single, childless law student or junior associate?
Grow up and stop judging. Maybe you and your lifestyle are mediocre too. Tell us about yourself, please, so we can learn how to model our lives and behavior after you.
Tool.
Congratulations to 2:05 for having the balls to come out and say that here in 2008 - nice to see someone thinking that the bottom line is not always the top priority. And it's not sexist or derogatory or anything of the type - rather, it's that kind of thinking that leads to better-educated, well-adjusted children and happier parents.
2:05 - get back to urbanbaby and leave the rest of us alone.
2:05:
My guess is that you were either raised by parents who worked a lot and were bad parents, and in some attempt to forgive them for just being bad people, you blame the work. Or you were raised by a stay-at-home mom, and--since you obviously turned out so well--think that's the only way kids can be happy.
You should try to understand that your idea of a perfect family isn't the only way to raise happy kids. There are plenty of kids who are raised in two-parent working households, who spend a lot of time with nannies, and who turned out adjusted and happy.
Personally, both of my parents worked very long hours and I spent a lot of time with my nanny. But the time I did spend with my parents was quality time, I have a great relationship with my parents, and they always inspire me with their work ethic and their commitment to something other than just themselves.
Who cares. Anyone at BigLaw can afford to take more leave if they want to anyway, whether it's paid or not. I don't see more parental leave as a perk - most associates don't take advantage of it anyway.
Parental Leave List of Shame
2008 Vault Rank
1 Wachtell, Lipton
2 Cravath, Swaine
3
4 Skadden, Arps
5
6
7 Cleary, Gottlieb
8
9
10
11 Kirkland & Ellis LLP
12
13 Paul, Weiss
14 Shearman & Sterling
15 Wilmer Cutler
16 Williams & Connolly LLP
17 Sidley Austin
18 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
19 O'Melveny & Myers LLP
20 White & Case
21
22 Jones Day
23 Morrison & Foerster LLP
24 Milbank, Tweed
25 Clifford Chance
26 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
27
28 Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
29 Fried, Frank
30 Ropes & Gray LLP
31 Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker
32 Wilkie Farr
33 Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
34 Winston & Strawn LLP
35 Dewey Ballantine
36 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
37 Linklaters
38 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
39 Freshfields
40 Proskauer Rose
41 King and Spalding
42 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
43 Quinn Emanuel
44 Baker & McKenzie
45 Baker Botts LLP
46 Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
47 Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
48 Dechert LLP
49 Irell & Manella LLP
50 McDermott, Will & Emery
51 Jenner & Block LLP
52 LeBeouf
53 Allan & Overy
54 DLA Piper
55 Cahill
56 Fish & Richardson P.C.
57 Fulbright & Jaworski LLP
58 Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
59 Goodwin Procter LLP
60 Cooley Godward LLP
61 Alston & Bird
62 Heller Ehrman
63 Vinson & Elkins
64 Bingham McCutchen
65 Sonnenschein Nath
66 Greenberg Traurig
67 Kaye Scholer
68 Holland & Knight
69 Steptoe & Johnson
70 Foley & Lardner
71 Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
72 Chadbourne & Parke
73 Hunton & Williams
74 Nixon Peabody
75 Thacher Proffitt
76 Bryan Cave
77 Schulte Roth
78 Perkins Coie
79 Stroock & Stroock & Lavan
80 Patton Boggs
81 Howrey
82 Reed Smith
83 Crowell & Moring
84 McGuireWoods
85 Hughes Hubbard
86 Arent Fox
87 Katten Muchin Rosenman
88 Finnegan, Henderson
89 Dorsey & Whitney
90 Thelen Reid & Priest
91 Baker & Hostetler
92 Kramer Levin
93 Venable
94 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey
95 Kelley Drye & Warren
96 Dickstein Shapiro
97 Fenwick & West
98 Kilpatrick Stockton
99 Mintz, Levin
100 Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
god, when are people going to get it right, it's WilmerHale not Wilmer Cutler. Get with the program, the merger was years ago.
2:05 to 18 weeks!
2:05, I intend to give you a firm spanking when you get home.
3:00, feel free to revise the PLLOS.
Yes, we will all have a GOOD spanking!
McGuireWoods actually has 6 weeks paid leave for men, 12 paid for women. Both apply to adoption scenarios as well. Does that take it off the PLLOS?
3:49, I think 18 weeks is the new "market." Therefore, if McGuireWoods is giving 6 or 12 weeks leave, that is not market and it deserves its place on the PLLOS.
2:54 - Contrary to your statement not all BigLaw associates can afford to take leave unpaid if they want. Either their firms will blacklist them if they do, or frankly with law school loans, mortgages, living in a likely BigLaw city (ie., NY, LA, etc.) or (God forbid) not being married to another BigLaw lawyer, or even close to that, expenses add up and unpaid leave for months is simply not an option.
2:05 hit the nail on the head.
And I'm not young or single. I just chose option B.
Since when did feminism stop being about equality? Now it is a salve for those women who don't want to make the hard choices in life, and want their employer to pony up so they can "have it all".
And 3:00 PM, you accidentally reversed the list.
People who have children are selfish. Soon, we will all struggle to gain access to valuable resources.
2:05: Funny how you conflated "parent" with "mother."
BigLaw is not the same as a 9 to 5 job. Don't try to pretend it is.
And being a parent is not about "quality time" - that is one of the biggest misconceptions out there. It is about being there for your child in all the many times and situations your child needs you - rarely does that happen on schedule.
Life does not happen in scheduled quality chunks of time. Anyone who believes that fairy tale has not raised a child or is just defending their own choice.